Scottie Scheffler didn’t waste any time after his season was ended. He was aware that he needed to contact Phil Kenyon. He was aware that he needed to contact Phil Kenyon.
Scheffler wanted to be the next golfer to consult with Kenyon, who is perhaps the best-putting teacher on the PGA TOUR and has worked with players like Max Homa and Tommy Fleetwood.
Scheffler was aware of the statistics. It was difficult to ignore them.
He was leading the TOUR in Strokes Gained and was having an all-time ball-striking season. Off-the-Tee and Increased Strokes: Approach-the-Green, but his difficulties on the green prevented him from making the most of his successful strokes.
Scheffler was a perennial contender and won twice in 2023 at the WM Phoenix Open and THE PLAYERS Championship, but it was a classic case of “what might have been ?” If Scheffler had putted like a regular PGA TOUR player, how many of his top-10 finishes may have resulted in victories?
He dropped approximately 100 ranks from his PGA TOUR ranking in 2022 to 151st this season among 184 players in Strokes Gained: Putting. He believes he is headed on the right path, though, and is optimistic about the future. His Ryder Cup pre-tournament press conference was loaded with reassurance. He talked extensively about his work with Kenyon, detailing the adjustments they’d made without displaying any signs of impatience.
Scheffler, the number one player in the world, said: “I feel the effects already.”
“Following a spectacular debut at Wisconsin’s Whistling Straits, where Scheffler went 2-0-1 and defeated the No. 1 player at the time, Jon Rahm, Scheffler is competing in his second Ryder Cup this week. The second pair of eyes that Phil provided was, in my opinion, quite beneficial. It was beneficial to organize my thoughts and feel like I’m moving in the correct path rather than merely speculating.” Scheffler said.
Days after the TOUR Championship this year, Kenyon paid Scheffler a visit in Dallas and was able to pinpoint the issue that Scheffler had been working to resolve all of 2023. Scheffler was aware that the toe of his putter was rising during impact, but his response made matters worse.
“I was attempting to fix it in the wrong manner at all times. I would bring my hands down. However, as I lowered my hands, the putter’s toe began to rise higher and higher. My hands have therefore gotten lower and lower as the year has gone on, and the issue has gotten worse and worse.” Scheffler said.
According to Scheffler, the error caused him to putt too frequently off the heel of his putter. He found it challenging to begin his putts on the right line as a result.
Scheffler now grips his putter tightly and has converted to a thicker SuperStroke grip. The putter can now be moved more easily with the turn of the torso rather than the hands, which may be Scheffler’s most advantageous feature. These adjustments also caused him to hunch over somewhat more at address.
The Ryder Cup will be Scheffler’s next challenge with his revamped swing. Putting in one of golf’s most stressful events is very different than doing it on the practice green of your home club.
In order for the United States to win the Ryder Cup on the road for the first time in thirty years, Scheffler’s putting must be mended or at least have improved over the past month. Randy Smith, Scheffler’s tutor since he was 7 years old, is the only other coach he has worked with prior to Kenyon. According to Scheffler, Smith was in favor of any modification that Scheffler believed would be beneficial.
Kenyon, an Englishman, is placed in the awkward position of aiding an American in winning the Ryder Cup as a result of the action.
“I informed him that after the Ryder Cup, his methods would be so successful that he wouldn’t be welcomed back at his own club,” Scheffler said.
